Mindfulness for Parents: Finding Your Way to a Calmer Happier Family

Description

Many of us find the challenges of family life, especially the early years daunting and overwhelming. The task of raising children is not easy, the stakes are high so how can mindfulness help us parent better? What is it? How do you do it? And does it help? This book will teach you how to become a better more patient parent using mindfulness. It will help you to- .Stay calm in a crisis .Feel more connected to your children .Be patient .Throw yourself into an activity .Not say something you may regret .Keep a sense of perspective Written in a friendly and accessible style Amber Hatch, author ofNappy Free BabyandColouring for Contemplationincludes tons of practical information alongside anecdotes, tips and insights that will help any parent, whether they are new to mindfulness or well practiced, to achieve a calmer, more relaxed family life. Topics covered include- dealing with the early weeks, including responding mindfully to your baby's cries, joining your child in play and preventing mealtime and bedtime stress, screentime, encouraging outdoor play and saying no, developing positive qualities and managing difficult behaviour and introducing mindfulness to children.

Amber Hatchis a writer, teacher, parent and childminder. She studied for an English Literature degree in Southampton and holds an MA in Creative Writing. She is the author ofNappy Free Babyand two mindful colouring mindful books. She has been practising Buddhist meditation for seven years, and regularly goes on retreat. She also helps to organize family retreats for the Samatha Centre in Wales.

Whether you are a beginner to the concept of mindfulness or a seasoned practitioner, you will find in this booka deep understanding of its power, and aclear, practical, insightfulguide to using that power in your own family. Dr Lawrence Cohen, licensed psychologist, play therapist and author ofPlayful Parenting Parenting is possibly our most rewarding and challenging task. Amber Hatch provides a wide-ranging account of how mindfulness and compassion can support and enrich parenting. She writes from a depth of knowledge and experience, and with a fluency and skill that makes the ideas accessible and useable. Her work is at the forefront of an important and very promising field of enquiry. Willem Kuyken, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, Oxford University In this excellent book, Amber Hatch explains clearly and persuasively how helpful mindfulness can be, not just for the child who is being parented but for the parent, too. If we learn to recognize, understand and regulate our own emotions we ll do a much better job of helping our children to manage theirs and find being a parent more rewarding. Gill Rapley, PhD, co-author of the Baby-led parenting books Hatch has a real skill for explaining her ideas with loving clarity. A brilliantly personal yet practical guide to mindfulness, this book is infused with Hatch s grasp of the nuances that only a parent could know. Full of ideas, stories and interesting concepts, parenthood and mindfulness complement each other in surprising ways. An engaging read for any parent looking to find greater presence and more joy. Michelle McHale, Director of Attachment Parenting UK This book makes mindfulness accessible to any parent interested in discovering effective ways to make parenting more meaningful, joyous and less stressful. It is packed with real-life examples that all parents will recognize. As a grandmother and mindfulness teacher I feel sure this book will be helpful to many parents. I wish this book had been around when my own children were growing up. Eluned Gold, Director of Continuing Professional Development, Centre for Mindfulness, Research and Practice, Bangor University Written with abundant compassion and honesty, Mindfulness for Parents offers an enormously helpful guide for bringing mindfulness to the everyday joys and very real challenges of life with children. Whether a parent, grandparent or parent-to-be, anyone wanting to achieve personal growth as they bring greater awareness into the domain of family living can benefit from these pages. Thank you, Amber, for writing such a kind, wise and caring book! Nancy Bardacke, midwife, meditation teacher and author of Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond As a meditator herself, as well as an instinctive mother, Amber Hatch gives a from-the-heart description of the many and varied ways that mindfulness can help parents cope with the challenges of parenthood, and also open themselves to the wonders of development bodies, minds and relationships that babies and young children can teach us. Dr Paul Dennison, meditation teacher, founding trustee of the Samatha Trust, and former NHS Consultant Psychotherapist This book is an invaluable tool for any parent struggling with children s demands in today s hectic 24/7 world. A practical, calming guide to retaining sanity and gaining peace, against all the odds. Corinne Sweet, author of The Mindfulness Journal"